1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a hand recording apparatus for recording images on a recording medium by manual operation.
The hand recording apparatus is an apparatus which records images on a recording medium (such as plain paper, cloth or a plastic sheet) while being manually moved by an operator. It covers an apparatus connected to a body apparatus (such as a word processor or a typewriter) and effecting image recording in conformity with image information from said body apparatus, and an apparatus having an image information input mechanism in itself. The images include, for example, characters, numerals, patterns and figures.
2. Related Background Art
Nowadays word processors have spread wide, and output apparatuses generally used in these word processors include heat transfer type recording apparatus using an ink ribbon.
The construction of the heat transfer type recording apparatus is such that a recording head provided with a plurality of heat generating elements which generate heat in response to an image signal is carried on a movable carriage. The carriage is moved by a motor and the recording head is drivingly controlled so as to be in synchronism with the movement of the carriage, whereby the ink of the ink ribbon is melted into an image pattern or reduced in viscosity and transferred to recording paper.
The above-described heat transfer type recording apparatus, for its compactness, light weight and low noise, is widely used as the output apparatus of a word processor, a printer or the like.
However, the above-described recording apparatus, which has a carriage feeding mechanism and a recording paper feeding mechanism, is complicated in its general structure, and is limited in the thickness, size, etc. of the recording paper on which recording can be effected. That is, it suffers from the problem that it is difficult to effect recording on paper of a thickness exceeding a predetermined thickness, paper of large size and a booklet-like medium such as a notebook.
So, the applicant has already developed and proposed a recording apparatus which is not limited in the thickness and size of the recording medium on which recording is to be effected and which can effect recording even on a booklet-like recording medium. The application was filed Mar. 15, 1988 and bears Ser. No. 168,387, now abandoned.
The present invention is a further development of the technique mentioned just above.